Value Of Pmp Certification

By Author: srihema
Total Articles: 4
Comment this article

The Value of a PMP Certification:

The value and importance of the PMP certification is a hotly debated topic within the project management community. One end of the spectrum vigorously defends the credential as the defining standard for competence,
whereas the other end views it as a meaningless exercise signifying nothing more than rote memorization. Many fall somewhere in the middle, seeing it as a necessary evil that hopefully yields some advantage to their marketability.

“PMP Certification as a Core Competency: Necessary But Not Sufficient” reports the results of a study conducted by Jo Ann Starkweather and Deborah H. Stevenson of Northwestern University’s Department of Information Systems & Technology.
The study reports the valuation of the PMP certification by IT Recruiters and corporate IT Executives, as well as a statistical evaluation of the PMP as an indicator of project success.

Survey Says…

Valuation of the PMP: Of the 15 core competencies surveyed, the PMP certification was ranked #11 by IT recruiters, and #15 by IT Executives (that’s right-dead last!) Shown ...
... below are percentages of IT Executives rating of “Important” or “Extremely Important” for each competency.

1. Leadership 95%

2. Ability to Communicate at Multiple Levels 94%

3. Verbal Skills 87%

4. Written Skills 87%

5. Attitude 85%

6. Ability to Deal With Ambiguity and Change 83%

7. Work History 69%

8. Experience 67%

9. Ability to Escalate 66%

10. Cultural Fit 57%

11. Technical Expertise 46%

12. Education 38%

13. Length of Prior Engagements 23%

14. Past Team Size 18%

15. PMP Certification 15%

PMP as Indicator of Project Success: There was no statistically significant difference in the reported success rates for projects led by certified vs. non-certified project managers when considered across 5 Success Criteria:

Cost/Within Budget
On Schedule
Quality/Met Technical Specifications
Quality/Met Client Business Requirements
Client/User Satisfaction